What is the English expression to ask someone if he/she is dressed and "presentable", in the sense that he/she is tidy enough to meet someone else? The word "dressed" does not convince me, because its meaning covers only clothes, and one might think of being not "presentable", for example, if hair are not combed.

Example: imagine someone knocking at the door of your bedroom and asking "X is here to meet you, are you [dressed]?".

Example, from the opposite side: someone knocks at the door of your bedroom and asks "May I come in?", and you answer "No, I'm not [dressed]".

1 Answer
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You can actually use "presentable" in the way you're describing: "Give me a minute, I'm not presentable." The phrase "are you decent" covers mainly whether you're not naked but also implies that you are presentable.

"Are you decent" has the advantage of being jocular or tongue-in-cheek, in that it can suggest that someone's not having hair or makeup done is comparable in (in)decency to their not having clothes on. "Are you presentable" is less fun :p
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nxxFeb 25 '14 at 0:26